NO
fewer than 12 soldiers from 31 Artillery Brigade of the Nigeria Army, on
Tuesday, laid siege on the Hill Top Model Secondary School, Minna, holding
teachers and students hostage and thereby disrupted academic activities for
over five hours.

Nigerian
Tribune reports:

The
officers and other ranks who stormed the
school premises were armed with AK 47 riffles, arrived in a Mitsubishi Hillux
Pickup marked 31 AB 035 NA. It was alleged that the soldiers removed the tags
bearing their names because of their perceived un-official presence at the
school premises. It was further gathered that the soldiers came on the
invitation of one Umar (surname withheld), a civilian, who happened to be a
friend of one of the army officers.

A
teacher in the school informed the Nigerian Tribune that at about 8:00a.m.,
Umar, decked in military fatigue, drove into the school in a black Nissan
Sports Utility Van (Jeep) with registration number Niger: AA 551 KUG. He stated
further that Umar came on the invitation of one Farida Mustapha, Senior
Secondary one student of the school who was punished by a teacher over an
undisclosed offence.

The
teacher said that Alhasan came to the school to intimidate the teacher over the
general punishment involving his girlfriend, Farida.

Also
speaking, Mr Bala Mohammed, principal of the school, simply said “Umar drove
into the school in a reckless way.” “We thank God that the students were not on
break, else, he would have knocked one down. “I cannot talk to journalists now
until I get permission from the state’s Commissioner for Education, Alhaji
Danladi Abdulmeed. “But, I have invited the Zonal Inspector and he is on the
way to the school to see things for himself.”

The
Zonal Inspector, Mr Mohammed Gambo, told newsmen that he was at the school to
investigate the incidence before briefing journalists. “We will do our best to
get to the root of the matter, I assure you,’’ he said.